FAA Reauthorization Bill Clears House with Resounding Support But Path in Senate Remains Murky

FAA Reauthorization Bill Clears House with Strong Support

U.S. Senate action on FAA reauthorization remained uncleared as the House easily passes its version, side-stepping some of the more contentious issues.

By Kerry Lynch • Editor, AIN monthly magazine

July 21, 2023

The comprehensive FAA reauthorization bill sailed through the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday by a 351 to 69 vote, but the path through the Senate remains unclear. The vote on the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act (H.R.3935) came after lawmakers agreed to strip out a measure to provide credit for simulator time toward the 1,500-flight-hour requisite for commercial airline pilots and voted down an effort to add slots to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA). However, the bill retained a measure to up the mandatory retirement age for airline pilots to 67.

Underscoring the bipartisanship of the House bill, the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee released a statement representing the Republican and Democrat leadership on both the full committee and aviation subcommittee praising the House passage. With an eye on trying to meet the September 30 deadline for FAA reauthorization, the leaders had carefully crafted a compromise bill that could be acceptable to both sides of the aisle.

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